In Silence
by helga3
Summary: A collection of 100-word drabbles, no specific order or genre. Supposedly Sesshoumaru-centric, but really just an excuse for me to fangirl Jaken. Updated!
1. The Sound Of Silence

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The Sound of Silence

"Sesshoumaru-sama? Why is it you talk so little?" 

"I speak when there is need to. And unlike most creatures, I do not fear the silence." 

"Why are people scared of silence?" 

"Perhaps they still remember that in nature, it is not the noises you should fear, but the times when those noises die down that are dangerous. Or perhaps they fear that if no one can hear them, they do not really exist. So they fill the world with their words, even when they are unnecessary." 

"Oh." 

A pause.

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

"Yes, Rin?"

"I'm not afraid of silence."

"I know, Rin." 

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. This goes for all the following chapters as well.


	2. Puppets Without A String

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Puppets Without A String

Raising an eyebrow, he looked at the two creatures in front of him, free now that their master was dead. 

"Still alive, I see." 

"I have my heart." 

She smiled. She had always been easy to understand, the wind demon. Fear. Hatred. Longing. 

The other one, the one with the body of a child and eyes that reflected either emptiness or eternity, or perhaps both, was a different matter. Her eyes never betrayed her like her sister. What she thought and wanted was a mystery. 

She reminded him of himself. 

"Nothingness cannot be destroyed." 

Her voice was only a whisper. 


	3. It Snowed That Day

It Snowed That Day

Jaken was cold and annoyed.

The girl had been bombarding him with snowballs all afternoon.

She had another snowball in her hand right now, Jaken realised, but she didn't thrown it at him this time. Instead he watched with glee as it flew through the air at Sesshoumaru-sama who was walking in front of them. Jaken felt hope rise in him. The youkai lord stopped.

"Jaken."

"Sesshoumaru-sama?"

His master turned around, raising his arm.

Oh no.

Jaken's world went white again as the impact of the snowball hit him and he stumbled backwards.

It was a very bad day indeed.


	4. In Dreams

In Dreams

My hanyou brother hates me. He allegedly despises everything I stand for, and does not bother to mask the disgust he feels when seeing me, or miss an opportunity to remind me of his hate.

My hanyou brother says he is searching for a jewel. In reality, though, he is chasing a dream, the dream of finally being rid of all those confusing feelings of his.

My hanyou brother, in other words, wishes to be more like me, although it is unconsciously. How ironic. Really, it only confirms what I, Sesshoumaru, have always known.

Feelings. They only lead to chaos.


	5. Enter The Dragonslayers

Enter The Dragonslayers

"Long have I searched for you, dog-demon. You killed my brother, only to have his arm. Now that I have found you -- prepare to die!"

"Fool. Do not presume to tell me what I can or cannot do. If I, Sesshoumaru, wish to have an arm, I will."

Sesshoumaru cut off the front-leg of the dragon, before leaving the rest to Jaken, who raised the Staff of Heads.

A moment later, all a passing traveller could find on the spot was a patch of burnt grass and the arm of a dragon laying on the ground a bit further away.

-

A/N: I've heard a couple of different translations of what kind of creature it was that Sesshoumaru got the arm he was using at a point pretty early in the manga/anime from, but dragon has been mentioned a lot, so I'm using that. Also, I was listening to the 'Enter The Dragonslayers' from the Escaflowne Movie OST as I wrote this.

I kind of got Ranma-flashbacks as well when writing this part_. "Saotome! Prepare to die!"_

Ahem.

Oh, and **thank you so much** to everyone who's reviewed, you are much to kind!

I appreciate all comments, really, critical and nitpicky ones especially. I want to improve, after all!


	6. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

"Rin. You should be sleeping."

"The stars woke Rin up."

A raised eyebrow.

"They are so beautiful and bright and shiny. Always there."

A pause.

"Like Sesshoumaru-sama!"

An afterthought, and a smile.

She yawned. It wasn't long before she was curled up asleep on the ground next to him.

He stared out into the night.

I am not blind to my own beauty.

But she was wrong. Stars were light, through and through. And while he was many things, light was certainly not one of them.

A shooting star shot across the sky.

I am not the star here, Rin.


	7. Dance Of The Blessed Spirits

Dance Of The Blessed Spirits

The Wind was playing with his hair, making it fly and frame his face like living silver in the moonlight.

He listened as it whispered to him, speaking of life, of freedom.

The touches, light as feathers, all around him.

It was entrancing. He was filled with the desire to touch it, suddenly.

So he reached out his arm, and soon they were entwined in a dance, drawing with them into it even things around them.

The dance was furious, making everything else seem of secondary importance.

There was no music, and the dance was silent, until the Wind laughed.

-

A/N: This turned out rather odd. It was written as an experiment, an attempt to sort out how I feel about the Sesshoumaru/Kagura-pairing. I'm no wiser for it. It really is the only romantic pairing I could possibly see for Sesshoumaru, though, and I'm leaning more and more towards it lately… I just need that final push.

Dance Of The Blessed Spirits – Classical piece from Gluck's 'Orpheo'.

Once again **thank you** to everyone who's commented! Keep the reviews coming, they are very much appreciated!


	8. WaxingWaning

Waxing/Waning

The first thought in Rin's mind as she woke up was not 'I thought I was dead', but 'I wonder if his moon changes like the real one'.

The second one was 'I thought I was dead'.

She never asked him, but after having travelled with him for some time, and never seeing it change, she assumed it didn't.

Years later, when Rin had grown old and had a family of her own, but he still looked the same, the thought came back to her. Perhaps his moon would wax and wane with him?

She supposed she would never know.


	9. Words, Words, Words

A/N: The following three drabbles were all written for the challenge at the inuyashafanfic lj community. Am curious to see if anyone spots the connection between the titles.

Feedback of any kind is adored!

Words, Words, Words

When Sesshoumaru-sama had shown up with ink, brush and paper one evening, declaring that she was to learn how to read and write, Rin had been overwhelmed.

The power to turn a few black lines into words was very rare. Back at the village, it had been something so abstract and far-off to everyone that the thought of it had never even entered Rin's mind.

She hummed softly to herself as she poured all the words Jaken-sama had taught her onto the whiteness in front of her, filling it with meaning she was now one of the few to understand.


	10. Sound And Fury

A/N: As I mentioned, written for inuyashafanfic.

Sesshoumaru/Kagura really has grown on me lately…

Sound And Fury

A swish and a flick of my fan, and the wind dances.

It cleans the world, and I wish it could blow away the images of my hated creator, the knowledge of the captivity of my heart.

And the images of a golden-eyed youkai lord, telling me all I need to be free is me. He mocks me, damn him! Because by his mere existence, he ensures that my heart will never be completely free.

I listen to the sound the wind makes, the swishes and the flicks, as I furiously wave may fan, over and over again.

Swish, flick.


	11. Ill Met By Moonlight

A/N: Feel the Jaken-love. Poor toad, so underappreciated.****

Once again; as I mentioned, this is written for the drabble challenge at inuyashafanfic.

Ill Met By Moonlight

"Hey toad! Where's Sesshoumaru at?"

'Tis an ill wind that blows, they say.

None of her business, I tell her. Leave us alone, I say, but in many more words than that, all while standing protectively in front of the sleeping human girl.

I used to say Sesshoumaru-sama should not taint himself with the presence of lesser beings, but now, I, too, protect the girl without a second thought. But I won't let that happen again, I tell myself as the red eyes disappear back into the night, riding a wind that doesn't belong in the stillness of the moonlight.

****


	12. This Boy's Life

This Boy's Life

The battle is over, but he can still smell it in the air.

The girl named Sango is kneeling next to the body of the boy who was her brother, tears streaming down her face. Sometimes, she looks up to give him accusing looks through her tears.

Foolish human, Sesshoumaru thinks, and turns to leave. But then, Rin is there, tugging at his sleeve, not looking accusing or angry or even sad at all, but smiling at him. Trusting him.

And he knows then that he has no choice. Drawing Tenseiga, he turns around and walks up to the boy.


	13. Ships That Pass

Ships That Pass

It was late at night when she appeared before them on the road, mirror in hand and flowers in her hair. She had not been seen since Naraku's death, and no one knew exactly where she stood at the moment. Rin and Jaken held their breaths.

Sesshoumaru stared at her for a long time, and then raised an eyebrow.

She gave an almost unnoticeable nod.

Sesshoumaru raised his other eyebrow.

Another pause, and another nod.

And then, they were both walking again, in different directions.

Rin raised her eyebrows at Jaken. He shrugged, and they headed off after Sesshoumaru.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

(No, not that kind of ships. Although I would kind of like to see that.)


	14. Why Are We In A Bad High School AU?

A/N: A special bonus somewhere-around-650-word drabble. Aren't you lucky? (Ok, so it's not a drabble. Let's just pretend it is.)

Why Are We In A Bad High School AU?

Inuyasha shut his locker and turned to his friends. "You know, guys, I've been thinking…"

Kagome and Sango turned their attention to him, while Miroku leaned over towards Sango. "Uh-oh. He's been thinking. Not a good sign." Sango shook her head.

Inuyasha just glared at him and went on. "Why is it we don't wear school uniforms?"

Sango frowned. "You're right. We're pretty much the only high school in Japan where it's not required."

Miroku nodded. "It's really odd, come to think of it. Not even Kagome wears one."

Kagome looked confused. "Me?"

He shrugged. "I have this strange mental image of you as someone who'd wear a uniform."

Eyes narrowing, Kagome looked at him suspiciously. "Is this some pervert-thing?"

"Actually, I have that image too," Inuyasha said thoughtfully, and Sango nodded as well.

Their train of thought was interrupted, though, as the door to the hall opened, and Inuyasha's older brother entered. With a whole gang of girls who were hanging on to his ankle being dragged along the floor behind him. The gang stared as Sesshoumaru calmly stopped at his locker, completely ignoring both them and the girls.

The door opened again, and another girl entered. She walked up to Sesshoumaru and gave him a book, thanking him for letting her borrow it. She, too, ignored the girls and smiled and waved at him as she left again.

Inuyasha couldn't keep quiet anymore. "Sesshoumaru, you got a _girlfriend_?"

Sesshoumaru gave him a haughty look. "Yes."

"Isn't she a bit young."

The look this time was, if possible, even more haughty. "That wasn't her."

"Well, who was that then?"

"Rin. She has been our neighbour for years, you idiot."

"Oh. I _thought_ she looked kind of familiar." He pointed to the girls at his feet. "What are those?"

"Fangirls." The voice came from behind them, and the gang turned around, not having noticed the newcomers until now. The voice apparently belonged to a red-eyed girl, who was looking decidedly amused. She was standing next to a short boy with pale skin that looked almost green and extremely thick, round glasses that made his eyes look enormous.

"You forgot your fangirl-off again," the girl told Sesshoumaru scoldingly, walking up to stand beside him---or as close to him as she could with all the girls laying in the way.

He nodded to her. "Kagura." You could hear a collective hiss from the girls at his feet.

The boy sighed and pulled out a spray can from his bag, using it to spray something over Sesshoumaru. And as if by magic, all the girls suddenly blinked as if waking from a dream, got up looked quizzically at Sesshoumaru and quietly walked away.

Sesshoumaru turned to the boy. "Thank you, Jaken." Jaken nodded, a long-suffering look on his face.

"You always forget!" Kagura's voice still sounded scolding, but you could clearly see she was amused. "Jaken never forgets it."

Inuyasha snorted. "Why would Jaken need fangirl-off?"

Kagura turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "You have clearly never seen Jaken when he's not wearing it, then."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Let's go to class." He and Kagura turned in unison, walking off. Jaken rolled his eyes and followed them.

Miroku scratched his head. "So that was the girlfriend, then?"

"I guess."

"And the guy?"

"Jaken is my brother's best friend. Only friend, come to think of it. I always thought Sesshoumaru kept him around to make himself look better. Seems he has some other uses as well."

"I still don't get why he'd need something called fangirl-off."

"Not to mention why my stupid brother needs something called fangirl-off!"

Kagome and Sango coughed. "Yeah, I wonder…" Kagome mumbled. "Anyway, shouldn't we be getting to class?" she went on brightly.

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah. That reminds me, I've been thinking…"

The others rolled their eyes.

"Why is it we change rooms between classes anyway? They don't do that anywhere else, either."


	15. Of Deeper Thought

**A/N: **This was written for LiveJournal user wrongly amused, using the first line of one of her stories as the first line here as well. And it's more around 200 words than 100, but oh well.

**Of Deeper Thought**

They stood at the edge of the forest, silent save for the croak and crackle of crickets serenading the sky. Even Rin was quiet, for once, lost in thought of the battle everyone knew was coming anytime now. She worried. Of course, she knew that she didn't really have to worry about someone as smart and as wonderful as Sesshoumaru-sama, but still, there was something ominous in the air. Perhaps it was the way the crickets were chirping – to her they sounded like they knew some sad secret, and were lamenting it. So Rin worried, and couldn't find the right words to say.

Jaken, too, was silent, and though he didn't know it, his thoughts were similar to Rin's. It had hit him, suddenly, with more force than ever, how lucky he was to travel with someone like Sesshoumaru-sama.

_They say that silence often speaks of deeper thought_, Jaken mused. _And I see it every day._

Jaken watched his lord, wondering what paths his mind was taking him down, and what he was planning for the upcoming battle.

Jaken felt helpless.

Unaware of his companions' musings, the demon lord looked up at the sky, an almost unnoticeable frown on his face.

_Damn this humid weather_, he thought. _My hair will get all frizzy._


	16. Double Lives

**A/N: **Originally written for the 30shards community on LiveJournal, for theme #2, juggling. And once again, not exactly 100 words, but more like somewhere around 200.

**Double Lives**

Jaken gave a sigh of relief, finally out of sight and hearing range of his companions - not to mention smelling range, concidering who said companions were, exactly.

It had been getting more and more difficult sneaking away from them. He'd been forced to do so on so many occasions lately that his companions had finally noticed his frequent prolonged absences and were getting suspicious. The normal excuses _(I was searching for food. I heard a suspicious noise. Nature called.)_ weren't working anymore. Jaken thanked his lucky stars that the girl had provided him with a new excuse for a while at least. He'd sputterd and looked outraged and guilty and accused her of stupidity vehemently enough when she'd asked if "Jaken-sama has a secret girlfriend" for them to think that maybe he did for a while, at least.

Still, the day would probably come soon when he would have to confess. It was getting too difficult, keeping his secret and juggling between lives. Jaken sighed again, but then decided pondering this dilemma would have to wait until later. Right now, he had other, mre pressing matters to attend to. He shredded his clothes to reveal the tights hidden underneath and headed off into the darkness for another night of fighting crime.


End file.
